Washington, DC – On Wednesday, February 21, 2001 the Hungarian American Coalition, along with the other 17 organizations of the Central and East European Coalition (“CEEC”), met with officials from the National Security Council and the State Department at the offices of the White House.

Ambassador Daniel Fried, Special Assistant to the President for European and Eurasian Affairs, Cameron Munter, Director for Central Europe, Peter Clement, Director for Russian Affairs, and Hope Harrison, Director for Caucasus and Central Asia, Ambassador William Taylor, US Assistant Programs for NIS, Jonathan Rickert, EUR/EEA, and Donald M. Sheehan, Country Officer for Romania attended the hour-and-a-half meeting. Frank Koszorus, Jr. represented the Hungarian American Coalition.

A number of topics were discussed, including: security interests of the US in Central Europe; US policy toward Russia; NATO enlargement; US foreign assistance to the region; and Voice of America. In addition, the Coalition followed up on several earlier discussions and pressed for assistance to Vojvodina pursuant to the Foreign Operations measure that appropriated $100M for Serbia for the current fiscal year. The National Federation of American Hungarians, another CEEC member, reiterated the call for assistance to Vojvodina. Ambassador Fried assured the CEEC that the National Security Council in the Bush Administration will be working closer with the State Department as well as consulting with those Americans who have experience and an interest in the region. “The meeting was conducted in an open and frank atmosphere,” said Mr. Koszorus. “It is important to get in on the ground floor at this time when policies are being debated and developed,” he added.

The Hungarian American Coalition is a nationwide non-profit organization that promotes public understanding and awareness of Hungarian American issues.